Beyond the end
by Mad Steph
Summary: I don't know if this is 100% AU, or if it takes place between "the scene" and the church scene. Spoilers for the finale at any rate.


"I can't believe you're here," she whispered into his ear as he tightly held onto her.

He smoothed her hair, and held her even tighter, "And I ain't letting you go anymore."

When they eventually broke apart, he took a step back and looked her over, still amazed that how a second ago he didn't remember her, didn't even know she existed, but now he couldn't even imagine spending a second without her. The emptiness he used to feel had finally dissipated, he felt complete, loved, secure.

"Well I don't know what you've been up to but you're looking mighty fine," he grinned, noticing the evening dress she was wearing under her lab coat. "Where are you supposed to be? A fancy cocktail? A ball?"

She chuckled, "I was at a concert, but I got a page to come back to the hospital for a patient, who just happens to have checked themselves out before I got back."

"Well I guess I should thank fate for bringing you here tonight," he smiled, before adding. "Or should I thank a certain Korean friend of ours."

"Maybe..."

They stayed quiet for awhile, just holding hands, still in the semi obscure waiting room, marvelled by the other's presence. He was the one who broke the silence, "Wanna get out of here? Hospitals give me the creeps."

"Sure," she agreed. "I just need to go and grab my things from my office."

They walked hand in hand down the hospital's corridors, she stopped in front of a door where there was a "Juliet Carlson, M.D." plate.

"No douchebag Edmund Burke in this world then, eh?" he noted.

"No, thank god," she sighed as she unlocked the door and let them both in.

As soon as he heard the door click shut behind them, his hands were all over her, under her lab coat, itching to touch what was under her dress. His mouth was on her neck, kissing her passionately.

"James ...," she half protested, as he turned her around to face him, pulling her lab coat off in the process.

"Wow, that's a real nice dress," he commented as he pushed her forward against her desk, knocking some of the things off it in the process. One particular item caught his eye – a photograph.

"Who's the kid?"

The room went silent, and all of a sudden she felt uncomfortable. She pushed him slightly away from her, bent down, picked up the frame and put it back on her desk.

"He's my son," she admitted.

"Your wha … you have a son?" he babbled. "But I thought you said you never married that Burke jerk?"

"I didn't."

"Then who ..." he took a closer look at the picture, there was something so familiar about the kid's face, he had Juliet's eyes and colouring, but his hair, his expression, he had seen it before …

Suddenly realisation hit him, "No … no way, it's not possible. How could I have been so ..."

Juliet looked at him worried.

"He's Jack's too, isn't he?" James asked with a hint of disgust in his voice. "I saw him in the hospital earlier, I just didn't know it was him at the time."

"Yes, Jack is David's father."

David. The kid's name was David. He dry swallowed, he couldn't believe this out of all the men in the world, she had to go and have a kid with the Doc. Not that she knew he was the Doc back then. He knew the acid ball of jealousy that was forming in the pit of his stomach was uncalled for, at the end of the day, in another life, Jack had ended up saving them all. But right here, right now, none of that mattered.

In their other life Jack had never slept with Juliet, but here, clearly he had, and it made James want to punch him in the face.

"You two married?"

"We got divorced a couple of years ago," she said, trying to be reassuring, and guided him to the sofa.

"This is just …"

"Surreal?" she completed.

"Yeah," he paused. "How did you even meet him in the first place?"

"He was a year ahead of me in med school. I got pregnant, he proposed, I thought it was the right thing to do at the time, so we got married."

"Oh" was all he could manage.

She took his hands into hers, her heart was in her mouth, what if this was a deal breaker for him? She had just found him again, she couldn't lose him this soon.

"If this is too much for you," she said half heartily. "I understand."

He looked at her, but her eyes were turned away from him.

"No, no, no, Juliet," he cupped her hand with his face. "I'm just a bit surprised, that's all. I meant it when I said that I was never letting go of you again. So what if you have a kid? And so what if it's Jack's? What matters is that I've finally got you with me again, and besides, he's not just Jack's son, he's ours too, so I'm sure he must be a swell kid."

She looked into his eyes, she knew he wasn't just saying that, she knew he meant it.

"Oh, he's wonderful, James. I know every mother says this about her child, but he is. He plays the piano, he's really talented, he just got into the _Williams Conservatory_," she stopped, realising that she was rambling.

He still felt a little uneasy that she had had a child with Jack Shephard, and the fact that he sounded so perfect wasn't really helping him accept the idea, but he would get over it, he had to.

And now looking at her, he could see that she was beaming, she looked so happy when she was talking about her son, and her happiness made him feel joyful, so he smiled back and said, "He sounds great, I can't wait to meet him."

"I love you, James."

"I love you too."


End file.
